Science Center of Iowa Blog

At the Science Center of Iowa, our goal is to be a quality community resource for informal science learning where children, families, school groups and individuals come to explore science and technology. To continue the learning outside our walls, we give you the SCI blog! Our knowledgeable staff, along with special guests and local scientists, will give you a behind-the-scenes look at SCI activities and in-depth information about science events.

Latest Posts

My name is Bailey McClurg, and I’m one of the two Maker Corps Members that will be working at SCI this summer. I’m originally from Waukee, and I’m currently a sophomore in biomedical engineering at the University of Iowa.

Obviously, I do a lot of making at school, but I’ve also been involved with projects related to more artistic fields like music and theatre in the past, and I like to bake and knit in my spare time.

Our Maker Spring Development Camps are giving us a great insight into methods to plan projects and engage all types of people in making. I’m excited to implement these practices in my time at SCI, and I look forward to our summer of making!

Hi! My name is Gavin Warnock, and I am a graduating senior at Grinnell College. I am receiving degrees in physics and studio art, and I am in the education licensure program at the college. After my summer with the Maker Corps, I will be student teaching at Southeast Polk High School for the fall. From there I want to continue my practice as I find ways to bring making to the classroom.

To give you an idea of how I got to the Maker Corps... I grew up in Perry, IA, and I have lived here in Iowa my entire life. I spent my first significant time in the art studio in high school. I had a fantastic time making things and thought it was something I could really pursue.

My love for science began with my introduction to science fiction. As a child, I always loved science fiction movies, books, games and television. As I went through school, I found how much of this world I came to love is based on fact. As a physics student at Grinnell, I was able to see some unique demonstrations. I found myself thinking over and over, “This would make an incredible sculpture.”

As I gained knowledge and skill in my studio practice, these ideas that I wrote in the margins of my lecture notes became realities. As my studies in education developed, my work began to take on content and themes in education. This is where my making lies now. I find myself making works for which I often insert myself as a guide to or through the statements, physics, aesthetics and entertainment I explore. I feel very fortunate that I found this path to becoming a maker.

This summer, I am excited to collaborate with my peers in the corps and with the community at the Science Center of Iowa.

I feel as though I learn so much when I interact with everyone -- from Ph.D.’s to preschoolers. Each person gives me new insights to the topics I choose to explore. I am also very excited to try new things. Even as an art and science major, my experiences in making are limited to the classes I had time to take and the outside research I had the time to do. This program is an extraordinary way to jump in to new types of making in new settings.

I am looking forward to spending as much time as I can exploring, experimenting, playing, making and learning with the Maker Corps and the Science Center of Iowa.